Contour At The Movies

Right around that time I moved to LA in the mid-1980′s an upstart computer store opened with a crazy idea: cater just to the film and television community.  I gave it six months to a year before it folded in the shadow of Computerland.  Well, Computerland is gone, but THE WRITERS STORE is still there, and over the years Jesse Douma and his family developed their store into a mecca of merchandise and advice for writers, producers, and directors.

As Contour for Windows 1.0  joins Contour for Mac 1.1  in release, I just wanted to thank Jesse and the gang at The Writers Store for their support of Contour in general and me in particular.   Jesse will be the first to tell you that I can be a huge pain in the backside when it comes to being passionate about what I do, but (I hope!) he’d also be the first to tell you that my heart’s in the right place in my concern for writers.

Anyway, kudos to you, my TWS friends.  Your store is a class act and greatly appreciated.

– Jeffrey Alan Schechter

It’s official…Contour for Windows officially goes on sale Monday, March 30!  Pre-sales are going amazing, and there will be a discount available for registered owners of the TotallyWrite Development Suite.  If that describes you, keep your eyes on your inbox for details.

Thanks again to the great gang at Mariner Software for all of their hard work.    EXCELSIOR!!

IT Reviews just posted a review of CONTOUR.  You can check it out here.  

What I like about the review (besides the fact that they like the software!) is that it very clearly says what Contour is and how it helps writers.  It’s a great, concise overview of the program.

Thanks again to Rob Beattie and the IT Reviews team for taking the time to put CONTOUR through its paces.

GOOD GUY VS. BAD GUY OVER STAKES (pages 95-105)

The climax of every well-told story is the protagonist in pitched battle against the antagonist over the stakes of the story. I’ve seen films where the final battle is handed to some subordinate or minor characters (THE HUDSUCKER PROXY comes to mind), and you can feel your brain rebel while watching.

In your story, make sure it is your main character who has to get his or her hands dirty, not someone else. You main character might get some desperately needed help, but choices and action belong to your main character.

In romantic comedies, this is the final moment when the lovers seem both destined to be together and fated to be apart.  

And when this is over toss in a short denouement that caps off the story and shows the main character in his or her new reality, and everyone goes home from the theatre happy!

• Brody is on the sinking Orca and squares off against the shark to save Amity. ( JAWS)
• Jack fights Barbossa to save Will and Elizabeth. (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL)
• Sam finds Jonah at the top of the Empire State building, almost misses Annie, but finds her when they come back to retrieve Jonah’s backpack. (SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE)
• Luke destroys the Deathstar and saves Leia. (STAR WARS) 

Want to read all 12 steps to the Contour Guide? CLICK HERE

Interested in being a beta tester for Contour for Windows?  Then CLICK HERE to start feeling the Contour for Windows love!

The Fully Awesome Carpetshark over at Mariner Software just sent me this screenshot of the soon to be beta-ready version of CONTOUR FOR WINDOWS.  And it’s skinnable so you can change the look.  

I’m getting excited…

The downloadable version of Contour is now the second most popular item being sold by our friends at The Writers Store in Los Angeles.  

Once Mariner Software gets the Windows version out the door, FD is gonna be pwned!

INSIDE THE WHALE  (pages 65-75)

In classic mythological storytelling, this is the “belly of the beast” or the “inside the darkest cave” moment for the main character. Often the scene takes place in a confined space, representing that the forces at play against the protagonist are closing in…tightening…and the protagonist must dig “deep” and face his or her darkest fear.

• Indiana Jones is abandoned inside the Well of Souls, surrounded by snakes. (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK)
• Luke goes into the cave and faces what he thinks is Darth Vader, but is actually a representation of the dark side of the force that is within him. (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
• Sam and gang are deep within Hoover Dam as Megatron is unfrozen. (TRANSFORMERS)
• Kevin is forced to go into the basement and confront the very scary boiler. (HOME ALONE) 

Want to read all 12 steps to the Contour Guide?  CLICK HERE

…MAKE LEMONADE (page 55-65)

Have your protagonist get into direct confrontation in a big way.

• Tony Stark uses his suit to defend a village. (IRON MAN)
• Luke starts gets Leia out of the the detention block and brings down the wrath of the Stormtroopers. (STAR WARS)
• Brody’s own son is almost attacked by the shark and he compells the Mayor to hire Quint. (JAWS) 

• Lester argues with Carolyn about their sex life. (AMERICAN BEAUTY)
• Luke and company are pulled into the Deathstar and discover that the Leia is being held onboard. (STAR WARS)

Want to read all 12 steps to the Contour Guide? CLICK HERE

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS…  (pages 45-55)

Just when your protagonist thought he or she was making progress, you pull the rug out from under! Force your protagonist to stop wandering and start fighting.

• Batman realizes that trying to fight the Joker by the Joker’s rules isn’t going to work. (THE DARK KNIGHT)
• Lester argues with Carolyn about their sex life. (AMERICAN BEAUTY)
• Luke and company are pulled into the Deathstar and discover that the Leia is being held onboard. (STAR WARS)

Want to read all 12 steps to the Contour Guide? CLICK HERE